Astrologers do not always agree with each other – good grief, no – but for once there is consensus that Something Big is afoot over the next two years.

The reason for the apprehension is the presence of Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn. The two planets, both considered harsh in their action, meet every 35 years or so and their encounter has an unhappy, often bloody history; consider August 1914, at the outset of World War One, or August 1947, concurrent with the partition of India/Pakistan and Palestine/Israel. The last conjunction, in November 1982, provides a less alarming example.

What, then, to expect from the next conjunction of the pair (exact in January 2020 though operative throughout the next two years)? Pluto’s recent history in the conservative-minded sign of Capricorn offers a fat clue; the distant planet arrived in the sign of The Goat early in 2008 and was immediately followed by global financial meltdown and the subsequent imposition of austerity. Since then, the plutocracy – corporations, the super rich, the principle of ‘might is right’ – has been in the ascendancy. Whether the next two years represents a peak of authoritarian politics or their further normalisation remains to be seen – interpretations vary.

A mighty financial crash is also a popular projection, though as much is arguably in process as we begin 2019.

The scary pair in Capricorn is, of course, not the only celestial story on offer this year. Jupiter spends all but the last month of 2019 in its own sign of Sagittarius, bringing an upbeat, idealistic alternative to the Saturn-Pluto action. The revolutionary planet Prometheus (aka Uranus) moves back into the skies of Taurus in early March, where it remains until 2025. Prometheus is associated with technology, so its presence in earthy, fertile Taurus suggests more tinkering with mother nature; whether that means more GM crops or an ingenious solution to climate change remains to be seen.

What impact these and other planetary patterns signify for individuals is considered in my monthly forecasts. A happy and prosperous new year to all my readers.

Mercury Retrograde

Astrological tradition holds that when Mercury, the planet of communications, goes backwards – an illusion created by our perspective from planet Earth of course – then communications likewise turn awry. Computers die, deliveries go adrift, folks misinterpret and the world moves to go-slow for three weeks. In 2019 Mercury Retrograde reigns between the following dates:

March 5 – March 28 (Mercury is in Pisces)
July 7 – August 1 (Mercury is in Cancer)
October 31 – November 20 (Mercury is in Scorpio)

Hold onto your phone!

Capricorn

As the introduction to 2019 explains, Capricorn’s patch of the heavens is under heavy emphasis not just this month, not just this year, but all the way through to the close of 2020. You might therefore consider the next two years as a whole – a self-contained movement in life’s symphony if you like – as your governing planet, Saturn, completes its transit of your skies. That transit rolls around only every 29 years, and you have to go back centuries for the last time Pluto was also part of the equation.

Saturn’s touch is rarely light. The ringed planet brings to the fore the fundamentals of life – work and career, home and property, long-haul relationships – and searches out any weak spots in your set-up – your house develops alarming cracks in the brickwork for example. Long-standing arrangements, especially decisions you took seven or fourteen years ago, come up for re-examination. Lean and mean is Saturn’s style, perhaps requiring living more frugally, or bringing a tipping point where you decide to offload your priceless collection of mediaevalmanuscripts/reggae 45s/vintage ballroom gowns.

On the other hand, comes Saturn’s appetite for responsibility and achievement, for a more mature and demanding position at work for example, or the sheer grit required to bring a project to completion, be it your soon-to-be best seller or a canny business start-up that will see you join the tech titans of Silicon Valley. As the Lord of Time, Saturn respects and rewards long-term thinking and strategy, qualities that come naturally to the Mountain Goat. Get the job done!

Many Capricorns have already dealt with such weighty matters in 2018 – especially December birthdays, with January birthdays those principally under scrutiny in 2019.

January sees an intensification of Saturn’s assorted processes, with the new Moon of the 5th next to said planet. This is also a partial solar eclipse, so something of a way marker. The good news is that you are empowered, both by the Sun’s presence and messenger Mercury zipping through the Goat’s skies – gather information, issue orders.

Romance? You will do well to find time to pursue it, and if you are in the dating game, February, when Venus is in your skies, looks a livelier prospect. Existing, long term partnerships remain under Saturn’s scrutiny, very much a commit-or-quit scenario; it’s your move. Happy birthday.

Aquarius

Urn Bearers are among the zodiac’s least understood denizens, firstly because people think yours is an emotional water sign – whereas Aquarius is a lofty, thoughtful air sign – while your sign’s radical, innovative streak can be too way out for popular consumption. In 2019, however, futuristic notions make for a cool calling card. Let them call you space cadet, you know you are right! Aquarius is one of the founder signs of science fiction – consider Jules Verne b. 8.2.1828 – the other being Sagittarius, where Jupiter spends the year.

That combination favours innovative ideas and an idealistic, humanitarian agenda. You might as well pursue it from the very start of the year, when Venus and Mars promise a plentiful supply of simpatico colleagues, associates and fellow travellers. Lean hard on your social network, call in help from energetic friends, network your projects. Creative collaborations are one place where you find advantage.

In many ways January is a microcosm of the year. The traditional ruler of your sign is Saturn, and a Roman Aquarius – a public plumber, there to keep the town fountains flowing – needed practical Saturnian skills. Saturn behind the scenes in your solar twelfth suggests you are hatching a plan to unveil in 2020, when Saturn reaches your skies. This is also the zone of spiritual treasures and pursuits; the intersection of mind, body and spirit, the place you find a balance between inner contemplation and practical application.

Your modern ruler, Prometheus (aka Uranus) is in more outgoing mode as the year opens, very active in your social life until the planet moves to the root of your solar ‘scope in March, after which you might expect a little turbulence in your domestic set -up and family life – builders turning the place upside down, or lodgers coming and going. Prometheus is in provocative mood this spring and summer, but provocation does get one off one’s rear and into action. Contest away!

Your birthday season opens with a bang on January 21 when the Sun arrives in your skies and immediately delivers a total lunar eclipse in your opposite and complementary sign of Leo. One particular association is under transformation, be it spouse, ex, bridge partner or sworn enemy. Birthdays in the opening days of your sign – January 21-25 – had quite a mauling last year; now you can close that chapter and move on. In the dating game? Keep busy!

Pisces

The message for January, and indeed for the year, couldn’t be clearer. Jump right in and get busy. Put yourself out there in the wonderful worlds of work, career, enterprise and deal-making. There is a lot of fun written in these stars, a delightful mix of work and pleasure, though if you want to get serious with The Man – that is to say, the establishment, the system, the patriarchy – then that often forbidding world looks surprisingly receptive.

The two main themes of your ‘scope are embodied in the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The former, the traditional ruler of your sign, spends 2019 traversing the roof of your ‘scope, the place where you are most on public view – usually via your job – and the place where you carve your career. A Jupiter transit here – it arrives only every dozen years – calls for profile building and a willingness to mix with the so-called great and good of your profession. If you are in politics, show-business, law or education, you can find an extra gear. The omens are particularly sheet in January, with Venus joining Jupiter around mid-month.

The cluster of planets in Capricorn is, as outlined in the introduction, a somewhat forbidding line-up. Yet the earth of Capricorn makes a comfortable fit for watery Pisces, with Saturn’s presence here suggesting you can reach an accommodation with the powers that be, get a nod from the boss. Saturn and Capricorn are material-minded, pragmatic, and trade, buying and selling, are favoured; antique dealers take note.

Neptune in your own skies is something of a magnetic pull to Jupiter and Saturn. Nowadays touted as Pisces’ ruler, Neptune is an odd jumble of energies, at worst confusing and formless but at best lending you a glamour-tinged aura. No harm in bigging yourself up – lesser talents do it all the time. The waxing Moon of January 11th in your skies is an ideal time to see and be seen.

Aries

Va Va Voom! New year’s gifts don’t some much better than Mars – the Ram’s undisputed ruler – moving into your skies, its presence enduring until mid-February. Mars equals courage, independence and energy, making you a keen competitor in this opening phase of the year (as usual then, but more so). There is no point holding back on plans, simply steam in, making sure that your energy is measured; the red planet can also mean the red mists descending.

You should have plenty of tasks to get stuck into – Saturn crossing the roof of your chart will make sure of that. Saturn makes your career path promising but arduous – you have to play for the long term, be particular and fussy with your organisation, and on no account duck a mission and thereby blot your copybook. This month especially looks thick with office politics. Mind whose toes you are treading on.

Your ‘scope is still unfolding in other respects. Prometheus, the wayward planet that has spent seven years in your skies, completes its transit in the opening months of 2019. Said planet has led some of you a merry dance in 2018 – birthdays April 16-19 in particular), with a fractured relationship and/or a new identity among the likely outcomes. Whatever has been going on, bring matters to a conclusion of shorts now. Prometheus in Taurus, where it will reside for six more years, is a less arduous, less disturbing transit; in fact hardly a transit at all.

As pointed out in last month’s forecast, Jupiter in your fellow fire sign of Sagittarius is an uplifting omen, favouring travel, international contacts and lucky breaks, as well as all things educational, whether you are student or mentor. Venus next to Jupiter aligns sweetly with Mars around the full Moon of January 21; a joyous combination and not without romantic attraction.

That full Moon is in the third fire sign, Leo, is also a total lunar eclipse; one romance or friendship seems to be undergoing a transformation, perhaps even doing a vanishing act. Still, the following few days are among the month’s most favoured; put yourself among good company and burn the candle at both ends if needs be.

Taurus

In an ideal Taurean world, events proceed on an orderly basis, with regular mealtimes and not too many surprises, even pleasant ones. Ambiguity, making it up as you go along and flying by the seat of your pants are not the Bull’s style. The last twelve months may have obliged you to loosen up a little, however. Jupiter in opposition is not a transit to leave things settled; more likely is turbulence in your one-on-one relationships (not just romantic associations) and unscheduled arrivals and departures.

Jupiter has now moved on, and in 2019 emphasises your capacity to make money, whether through steady work or buying, selling and wheeler-dealing. Money that arrives via other people – a partner, an inheritance, a pay-off from a punt – is also part of the picture.

Your horoscope’s capacity to spring a shock or two has not vanished, however. The wayward planet Prometheus, of which you had a flavour last year, arrives back in The Bull in early March and is active there for the next seven years, in 2019 affecting April birthdays. Prometheus relishes change, sometimes of the more extreme variety; flipping gender for example, running off with an eco-warrior to Yukon, divorce and/or marriage. Your birthday season, with the Sun, Mercury and ruler Venus alongside Prometheus, looks like happy uproar.

Happily, you have a very stabilising force at work in your ‘scope in the form of Saturn. While Saturn can be a daunting proposition (especially with Pluto alongside) its position in a fellow earth sign, Capricorn, allows you to work with the powers-that-be without undue stress. Whatever hullabaloo is going on in your private life, you can still play Steady Eddy at work. In your solar ‘scope, the Mountain Goat also represents far horizons; international contacts and business travel, as well as voyages of intellectual discovery and education.

January’s stars are work-oriented and supportive, with the Sun’ shift to the peak of your ‘scope on January 21 adding an element of challenge over the last ten days. The maverick omen this month is the total lunar eclipse that comes with the full Moon, also on January 21. This falls at the very root of your ‘scope, the place of family and home, though it equally concerns your place in the world (most obviously via your job, though perhaps you are famous for some other reason). If your birthday is April 20 or 21, there seems to be transformation in either area; stay alert.

Most Taureans are great talkers, and whatever glitches in your schedule, whatever the obstinacy of partners and opponents under the current spell of Mercury retrograde, everything can be solved by patient negotiation, especially after December 7, when Mercury moves forward, and a powerful new Moon arrives in your zone of shared resources. This is, indeed, a perfect time to be hunkering down with your accountant and your spreadsheet.

Ruler Venus is in opposition all month; again, a signal that your one-on-one relationships, romantic and otherwise, need tender handling. You are somewhat on the back foot and mere force in your opinions and behaviour are unlikely to work. Turn on the charm beam. In terms of romance, one particular character (Scorpionic in nature) may return to your attention, now that Venus is completing its retrograde cycle.

Gemini

With any luck – actually, with quite a lot of luck – you have been able to engineer something of an enchanted life at work. Neptune holding sway in the most public zone of your ‘scope is certainly the ticket if you are in any kind of show business, while more mundane trades can dazzle in their way; here’s a chance to be milkman or market trader of the month.

Even if you are not top dog in your profession, January and February come sweetly starred, with Mars favouring a role as team player and fixer. Stay busy, see and be seen.

The big change in your stars for 2019 is the recently established presence of Jupiter in your opposite and complementary sign of Sagittarius, there right through to December. This is a particularly ambiguous transit, principally concerned with your one-on-one relationships; partners, lovers, opponents, friends. Jupiter in its role as educator can signify an important mentor coming into your life, or in its role as liberator unshackling you from a stale relationship in favour of someone with more zest for life. Or if you can forge a true alliance of interests the chance to become a dynamic duo. In all instances you should give due credit to the other person; acting high and mighty is unlikely to play in your favour, while Jupiter in its role as law-maker asks you to stay clear of legal entanglements.

Your birthday season, when the Sun opposes Jupiter (exact on June 10) brings your one-on-ones into their sharpest focus. Meanwhile, for those in the dating game, or looking to make peace with you-know-who, Venus’ presence in the Centaur, until February 3, gives your ‘scope an agreeable glow.

This year, and especially this month, you also have to deal with Saturn, albeit obliquely. Two and three years back, when the ringed planet was in opposition, was a time of big decisions about property and job. In its current position, Saturn asks questions about your financial resources and emphasises the need to be a little Scrooge-like with your capital, not least this very month, when the new Moon next to Saturn comes with a solar eclipse.

The other eclipse this month arrives with the full Moon on January 21. A total lunar eclipse in your communications zone is not the biggest deal that astrology has to offer; nonetheless, ensure that your tech infrastructure is backed up and that your phone stays firmly in your grip.

Cancer

As events around the solstice full Moon may have shown, you have to be on your metal just now. With so many planets in opposition in January (with Saturn glaring back at you all year), your physical energy is challenged, and weighty matters – property deals, the old folks at home, a busted relationship – a preoccupation.

The important thing when handling Saturn is thoroughness and patience. Quick fixes may work in the short term, but you need a plan for the next year or two and one that you can realistically stick to in terms of available funds and energy commitment. Creative and financial projects need steady, indeed, relentless commitment to fulfil them. Chisel away at your masterpiece bit by bit.

Just to make sure you get the message comes Mars in Aries for the first six weeks of the year, ideally helping you maintain a vibrant profile in your professional life, but perhaps bringing the attentions of an unwanted hothead in the workplace. If the latter, try to isolate him/her.

Birthdays circa July 19-22 are also handling Prometheus over the first couple of months of 2019. Since you have already been through this transit back in spring 2018, this may men wrapping up career developments from last year, but Promethean transits have a way of springing surprises, and while Saturn favours a slow, steady approach, Prometheus works through abrupt changes. Fancy throwing over your 9-5 for an idealistic start-up?

Lunations are always important to Cancerians, and the total eclipse of your Luna ruler on January 21 deserves attention. It falls in Leo, and hence your cash zone; no need for alarm but ensure your purse doesn’t have hole in it. The previous two days (a weekend) sees the almost full Moon in your own skies, so expect an invitation/chance to be in the limelight. Since the Moon will be opposite that tranche of planets in Capricorn, it may also be a time of revelation.

Leo

As with many other signs, one background theme for 2019 is steady, hard work. Saturn is the culprit, as ever, but unlike other signs the taskmaster planet is interrogating you indirectly, via infrastructure and routine rather than grand moves in your career. A sloppy desk and an erratic diet are the enemy – many Leos have planets in goody-goody Virgo, which is the sign you need to emulate (albeit not in every respect).

Surprise developments in your profession – and/or how the world assesses you – are promised from early March when Prometheus, planet of revolution, crests your solar ‘scope. The oddball planet was here last spring and dummer, so you may be mopping up developments from then, but if not, buckle in and await offers you cannot refuse, or moves you can’t wait to make, especially if you are a July birthday. If you are planning a move into self-driven line of work – to come your own boss in other words – then 2019 and the six (count ‘em) years beyond are all in your favour.

The dark months of early 2019 have a joyous side. Jupiter in Sagittarius, a fellow fire sign, where the giant planet spends most of the year, is an omen to relish. Consider it an invitation to ‘follow your bliss’ as the late Joseph Campbell put it, to pursue whatever speaks closest to your heart. The creatives among you are empowered. Children (not necessarily your own) and the younger generation lend you cheer. Romance is in the air, not least in January, when Venus joins Jupiter. Jupiter does not always drop good fortune in your lap, but it becomes easier to make your own good luck.

Furthermore, the first six weeks of the year find Mars in the third fire sign, Aries, the red planet re-enforcing Jupiter’s themes of wide-eyed wonder and far horizons, geographical and otherwise.

January 21 is a significant date. Like every year, the Sun moves into opposition in Aquarius – only six months to your next birthday – and energy levels need nurturing. This year the Sun’s shift brings a total eclipse of the Moon in your skies – something of a chapter ending for birthdays circa July 23, and a potentially dramatic weekend, as the full Moon makes multiple aspects around the cosmos. Consider yourself on view/on parade.

This is the last eclipse in a series that has activated your relationship axis over the last two years or so, and, as suggested, may bring the end of a close association for some. Ending or not, your one-on-one relationships should feel less onerous in 2019.

Virgo

That the zodiac’s other two earth signs, Capricorn and Taurus, see so much celestial action in 2019 is a spur to get your mojo working and make things happen. A Virgo is not quite the timid creature sometimes described by astrologers. Yes, you are dutiful and disinclined to brag (there are exceptions!) but Virgo is a purposeful, practical sign, and with Saturn in Capricorn in sweet alignment to your Sun in 2019, it should be easy enough to set your affairs in order, reveal your ambition and show authority. Bring your past efforts to resolution, gain pay-off for all that dutiful input. August birthdays have already had a taste of Saturn’s demands and rewards, now the rest of you benefit (under Saturn, effort invested is always rewarded).

The most perplexing theme of 2019 may be your love life. Saturn is all in favour of commitment and going steady, but its karmic qualities may see long term affairs come under scrutiny, especially if you have been together seven or fourteen years. The probing quality of the year is underscored by the pattern of eclipses across your romance/friendship axis, with a minor eclipse in Capricorn on January 6 and more to follow in July and December.

Furthermore, you have the apparently endless transit of Neptune in opposition to contend with. The distant planet arrived in Pisces in 2011 and leaves in 2025, lingering opposite individual birthdays for months at a time; this year those of you born 7-12 September. At best Neptune is enchantment, at worst deception – grade your relationships accordingly (an objective opinion may help). Avoid partners and potential playmates with drug and drink issues (Neptune can be dissolute). It’s good to help others but your first duty is to yourself and your sanity.

Saturn and Neptune aside, 2019 is an agreeably mixed bag. Jupiter in the family and domestic zone of your ‘scope promises plentiful support from the clan, plus a chance to upgrade the Virgo villa. Jupiter also shines on professional prospects, with the season of Gemini (late May/early June) a potential highlight.

Then there is the wayward energy of Prometheus to consider. The planet of upheaval made a brief foray into Taurus in 2018; from March onwards Prometheus is there for the next six years, an intriguing prospect for those of you with an international perspective (August birthdays take note this year), and for introducing you to people who challenge your worldview. For all of you the oddball planet makes the month of Taurus (late April/early May) an uplifting hotspot in the calendar.

The total lunar eclipse of January 21 affects Virgo indirectly. This eclipse is in Leo, which occupies a secretive zone of your solar ‘scope; a good time, then, for inner communion. Come out fighting on January 23-25, when Luna, while waning, remains potent in the skies of the Corn Maiden.

Libra

Steady or shaky? The Scales is meant to be the sign of balance, but in 2019 you will have to work hard to maintain your famed equilibrium, whether the issue is professional, domestic or emotional. Or – lawks! – all three at once.

Libra is also the sign of partnerships, of course, which is not a bad place to begin given that for the first six weeks of 2019 you have red-blooded Mars in opposition from Aries, your partnership sign. Mars is strong here, in its own sign, so expect a vibrant, perhaps contested spell. Mars is energy and sometimes aggression, so you are somewhat on the back foot when dealing with significant others, be they spouse, friend, ex, business partner or hot date (and any dates will tend to be hot). Peace at any price is a Libran fault, but a little forbearance and diplomacy won’t come amiss; falling out with someone (or rather them falling out with you) is easily done on this transit.

On the flip side is the possibility of a forceful, fascinating newcomer, especially for those in the dating game. You will need to match them pace for pace so a measured approach, at least at this stage, is required.

Some of you, notably October 20-23 birthdays, are also handling the planet Prometheus, likewise in opposition from Aries. The opening two months of the year see Prometheus complete its seven years in opposition, a transit that can see you throw over an oh-so-safe partnership for something more vibrant, or the arrival of an unusual, exotic newcomer.

Whether or not Mr or Ms Right has shown up (or is about to), your social life looks extra rewarding in 2019. Jupiter in Sagittarius – fire for your air – favours plenty of time spent hanging out, drawing on the support of friends and siblings, and pursuing new seams of knowledge and skill (your communications infrastructure may need an update to cope). Education, whether as learner or mentor, is in favour. With your Venus ruler alongside Jupiter in January, you have a welcome escape route from pressures elsewhere.

Pressure? There seems to be no shortage of that this year, not with Saturn squaring your Libran Sun from Capricorn. It is now some seven years since Saturn was in your skies (2010-12) so you can look at 2019 as a reality check on decisions you made (or that were forced upon you) back then, especially anything to do with career and property, Events from back then are bound to be in the mix as you proceed through 2019.

While Saturn in Capricorn will do you few favours, its transit is not malevolent, more like a process of maturation and responsibility, and with Saturn, the more responsibility for your condition that you accept, the bigger the pay-off a year or two down the line.

On January 21 there is a total lunar eclipse in Leo, a sign that represents friendship and camaraderie in your solar ‘scope; a fellow traveller may be about to vanish from the scene. It isn’t a fearful omen. More importantly, with the Sun then in Aquarius, creativity and passion are all the rage in the ensuing month.

Scorpio

A tranche of planets, including Saturn, in earthy Capricorn is not so bad for a water sign like your own. Au contraire, the forces of small ‘c’ conservatism tend to be obliging; you can parlay with the boss, officialdom is less obstructive than it can be, and providing you are running a well organised ship, you can snap up any new job offers. Saturn in your third solar house is about communications, new skill sets, self-knowledge. You can learn plenty both about yourself and the wide world beyond. This transit is a little cold; intellect and reality tend to take precedence.

However, Scorpios have plenty of fantasy and romance to hand in the shape of Neptune in Pisces. Good for both a passionate romance and for falling in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with (pace Pete Shelley). Neptune here is also handy for self-promotion, especially during the month of Pisces (late February/early March).

Another slow-moving, distant planet, Prometheus, jazzes up the planetary picture around the same time. Prometheus is a maverick (it’s the only planet that spins north to south) and its move into your complimentary sign of Taurus in March promises an eventful year, especially for October birthdays. The planet was here for a few months in 2018 but 2019 begins its transit in earnest, through to 2025. When Prometheus crosses your Sun (or any other planet), you discover new facets of your character – you weren’t cut out to be a civil servant after all, but a garden designer! – while compelling new people enter your world. The month of Taurus (late April early May) looks quite the ticket in this regard.

Scorpio’s ruler, Mars (you don’t truly want the modern alternative, spooky Pluto, do you?) starts the year in its other sign of Aries, where it urges you to sharpen up your routine and infrastructure – get to work right away! And moves into opposition midway through February, there to test existing relationships and introduce to new ones; a prelude to Prometheus’ arrival if you like, and more inclusive of all Scorpios, regardless of birthdays.

Jupiter, having granted you favours in 2018 (think about it) is now in its own sign of Sagittarius in your ‘scope’s zone of ready cash, where the giant planet is prone to bringing more of the folding stuff – and spending it just as quickly (or even faster). Stay within your financial comfort zone.

January ends, as ever, with the Sun’s shift into Aquarius at the root of your ‘scope, a case of touching base, but this year it brings a total lunar eclipse in Leo, at the very peak of your ‘scope, a rare event and one that suggests the world will be seeing a great deal more of you (and vice versa) in 2019.

Sagittarius

Now this looks more like it. Since your birthday your undisputed ruler Jupiter has been sailing through the Centaur’s skies and will stay there, going back and forth until next birthday. As last month’s forecast put it, the planet represents “good faith, good fortune and positive outcomes; frame your future accordingly”.

Jupiter is by legend ‘lucky’, and while you may experience a shower of pennies and pounds from heaven or get an all-expenses trip to some exotic shore over the next eleven months, luck is usually either hard-earned or the result of being open to opportunities. Yours, of all signs, is disinclined to play things safe or shrink from a new challenge. With Jupiter, you get pay-off for effort expended (from the years 2016-17 for example); prizes and honours arrive. You become more presidential – handy if you are a politician or captain of industry.

The only downsides to Jupiter are excess – pride comes before a fall – and a belief that normal financial courtesies somehow don’t apply to you. Jupiter loves to spend, even though Saturn, in your cash zone, is currently more Scrooge-like. As some sage said, neither borrower nor lender be. Jupiter the over-zealous campaigner is another role of which to beware.

You get a double whammy of good fortune in January, as Venus reaches your skies on the 7th and makes a very sweet conjunction with Jupiter around the 21st; the ‘lesser and greater benefics side by side. Naturally, this is an ideal few weeks for the hot pursuit of romance, especially given that Mars, in fellow fire sign Aries, is nicely aligned from your zone of romance and parties. You look quite joy-bringer and quite the creator/artist. If you are in the dating game, the closing days of January and opening days of February look a wild card – get yourself out the house (or throw a party).

The presence of Jupiter may even resolve issues about your domestic situation. With Neptune in long term residence in your zone of family, home and hearth, many Centaurs (currently December 5-9 birthdays) have endured ambiguity about where they live – two homes are a not uncommon scenario. Again, the opening months of the year are the best time to snag that slippery issue, perhaps during the Mercury retrograde of March.

The month of Aquarius, beginning January 21, is always a source of support for Sagittarians (air for your fire), and this year comes with intriguing total eclipse of the Moon on that day. This arrives at the start of your ‘scope’s zone of far horizons and long-haul travel, further emphasising those very Jupiter-in-Sag themes. A very lively few days ensue; enjoy.